PSG's Alex hopes to stay in Europe

Alex has revealed he would love to stay at Paris Saint-Germain beyond this season and still harbours ambitions of playing for Brazil at next summer's World Cup.

Alex is one of five Brazilians in PSG's first-team squad.

The 31-year-old is out of contract with the French champions in June, but has featured in 20 league games for PSG this season, more than compatriots Thiago Silva and Marquinhos, his principal rivals for a place at the heart of Laurent Blanc's defence.

"Personally, I'm waiting until the end of the season to better think about things," the former PSV Eindhoven and Chelsea centre-back, who left Santos for Europe in 2004, told a news conference. "Right now, I'm trying to do my work as well as possible. It would be great to stay here, but the club will have the final word. We'll see, I'm not worried. The club comes before individuals.

"I'm optimistic. My wish is not to go back to Brazil. I want to do another year or two in Europe. The best thing would be to stay here. At least a year. I repeat, I'm optimistic."

He is equally bullish about his chances of convincing Luiz Felipe Scolari to include him in the Selecao World Cup squad for next summer's tournament on home soil.

"I think that if I maintain my current form, there is still a chance I'll be called up by the national team coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari," Alex, who won the last of his 17 caps in 2010, said. "Everyone wants to play in a World Cup, all the more so when it's taking place in your home country. As long as I have a chance of being called up, I'll continue to believe."